UC Irvine’s School of Education, in partnership with the City of Santa Ana’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency and the Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative (SAELI), hosted community celebrations, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, to unveil playful, interactive learning installations at Madison Park and Angels Park on February 6 and April 4, 2025, respectively.
Some of the learning installations include:
- “Parkopolis,” at Madison Park: a life-size board game that promotes STEM language use, caregiver-child interaction and physical activity
- “How Tall Am I,” at Angels Park: an interactive height comparison tool introducing math concepts
- “Giant Lotería Game,” at Angels Park: a cultural twist on math and science learning through play
- “Eye Spy Mural,” at Madison Park (tentative): an interactive mural encouraging observation and engagement with hidden objects
UCI professor Andres Bustamante and his team designed these public spaces to transform them into playful learning environments, sparking conversations about science and math while promoting family engagement and informal STEM education. They are also intended to reflect the cultural values, goals, and history of the Santa Ana community.
Mayor Valerie Amezcua, Councilmembers David Penaloza & Jessie Lopez, and PRCSA Executive Director Hawk Scott delivered featured remarks during the Madison Park ceremony. Mayor Pro Tem Benjamin Vazquez, Councilmembers Johnathan Ryan Hernandez & Jessie Lopez, City Manager Alvaro Nuñez, and SAELI director Wendy Gomez attended Angels Park’s ceremony. Families and children from the local community joined the celebrations, where they enjoyed a mariachi band, DJ, and refreshments.